Toner

Even though I hadn’t read many good reviews about the Saem, I was still curious to try some of their products and so when I needed a new toner I decided to try this one out. My reasons for picking this toner aren’t that great – I wanted to try it because of “harakeke” which is a unique flax from New Zealand. It was the first time I’d seen a product with this particular plant, that and the green bottle looked so fresh, simple and well just appealing to me.

I’ll admit it’s not the best reason to try something out, but I suppose thinking the product looks good or has unique ingredients often attracts people to them, right? Or maybe it’s just me who falls for things like that?

No matter how much you break down the Korean beauty regime, you can’t cross out toning your face. The air pollution problem isn’t as big in the area I live in comparison to China or other places but, my skin is VERY sensitive to dust and germs. I could just go to the city center for an hour and next thing I know, my face is breaking out the following day.

This toner from Skinfood main marketing point is skin protection from dust and hazardous materials and also, moisture. Do you see where I’m going? Skinfood is one of the most reliable brands in my opinion so I thought this could possibly help me prevent new breakouts.

Peeling pad has been a trend since early 2017 among skincare brands. Most of the products are claiming that it is a convenient way to save up time as it works as a cleansing, toner and peeling pad at the same time. One of the brand that joining the trend is G9 Skin. This brand is a sister brand of Berrisom that is started around 2016.

This brand pursuing a concept of anti-city pollution skincare where their products contain extracts of 9 good ingredients that will improve skin health which are lotus, ivy, pine sprout, eucalyptus, oregano leaf, linseed, hibiscus petal, chia seed, and green tea. Wow! I believe you come across a product which contain one of the ingredients I mentioned above at least once, right?

As a skin care enthusiast, I always love to try different brands. So, this is my first time using G9 Skin product. I heard several of their products being reviewed and mentioned by beauty bloggers such as the whitening milk cream. But then, this peeling pad appeal to me the most. So let’s jump to review the product!

SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion is a purifying toning lotion that is to be used as your final step after cleansing to prep your skin for the next steps in your skin care routine. It lightly exfoliates as it helps to remove residual impurities and dead skin cells while still giving the hydration that your skin needs. This lotion contains a mix AHA (Lactic Acid), BHA (Salicylic Acid) and of course SK-II’s exclusive ingredient, which is the Pitera™ that is packed with vitamins, amino acids and minerals.

Interestingly, I would never have come across this toner if it weren’t for my friend who graciously decided to pass this on as she was looking to de-stash her products. And for that, I thank her because spoiler alert: I ended up really liking this toner. Also just a quick note that you can really see how the YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary: whatever works for me may not work for you, and vice versa) rule really comes into play here as we had different opinions on the same product.

I must admit, I’m not as well versed in Japanese skincare as I am in Korean. I follow a Taiwanese Youtuber who swears by Albion products, so when I was in Taipei I went to an Albion counter and did some damage. It’s by no means a cheap product, at around $100USD/$126CAD for the 330ml bottle, but I justify it in my mind that it’s still cheaper than SK-II.

I love the service at department stores in Asia, they treat you like royalty even if you’re buying a piece of lint from them. Combine the good service plus the things I’ve heard about it, I decided to buy 2 bottles and a box of the sheet masks. They were having an event where when you buy the big bottle (330ml), you get a tester kit. The tester kit is very generous, with a bottle of the lotion, two 27ml bottles of the skin conditioner, and a nozzle spray so you can use it on the go.

I am a bit toners and FTEs junkie. I mean, yes, I am skin care junkie from head to toe, but there is something about these liquid wonders that make my wallet itch. I have all sorts of them: pH adjusting, hydrating, with or without snail mucin, all types of fermented everything… Well, you get the picture. This one in particular is with aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, snail secretion filtrate, and very interesting BHA – salicylic acid.

Interestingly enough, I first discovered this product through one of the lists Cosmeperks produced in the earlier stages of the website. Specific link here. As I’m sensitive to high concentrations of hyaluronic acid in skincare, I was looking specifically for toners which omitted the ingredient completely – just to see if it’d make any difference to my usually flushed skin. And as the product also contained centella and madecassoside which have been made famous for their skin soothing properties, I was even more intrigued.